Heavenly pop still hits

STILL GOT IT: After four decades in the business, The Chills, of Dunedin indie-pop royalty, are set to touch down in town ahead of their seventh studio album release. Picture supplied

Not many bands make it forty times around the sun but not many bands are The Chills.

Having announced the release of their seventh studio album, Scatterbrain, The Chills are dropping by The Dome on

May 9 as part of their nationwide tour.

Flying high in the 1980s, the band released multiple tracks to international acclaim like Pink Frost, I Love My Leather Jacket, and the infinitely catchy Heavenly Pop Hit, which hit No. 17 on the US charts.

At their height they shared a stage with Bjork, competed for the spotlight with R.E.M., and were poised to become international pop superstars.

But on their way through the stratosphere and closer to the sun, the band faced the familiar struggles that come with fame.

Dealing with drug use, needles, electric guitars and synth-laden ballads, lead singer Martin Phillipps seemed destined to be another artist lost to the business.

In the 1990s, after a rocky US tour where the other members of the band departed and Phillipps started a new version of The Chills, the band lost its footing.

The new group attempted to record an album together in the UK but band members were turned away at the border.

As the band’s turmoil deepened, so too did Phillipps’ personal life. Diving headfirst into depression and drugs back in New Zealand, he contracted hepatitis C via dirty needles, cutting his life expectancy.

It was the same old well-trodden story about the end of a great band.

But instead, the end was merely an interlude.

Since their dark days, they have recorded multiple albums to critical and fandom acclaim.

The fact there is still a band at all is a testament to the power of their timeless music. They sound the way you want the 1980s to.

Although their style and sound have changed over the decades, they have maintained a distinct essence to their sound.

Speaking to The Chills’ hometown newspapers, the Otago Daily Times, Phillipps said since the band’s renaissance this will be their third high-quality record.

“It was important to me to bring our legacy up to date. Not to be known as the band who had a number of hits in the 80s.

“I’m feeling good about that now, you know? Even if some of the old fans haven’t really checked out the new stuff — but a lot of people have and I think the word is starting to spread. I can almost relax a bit now.”

The Chills perform at the Dome on May 9. Presale tickets are $40 plus booking fee.

Available in person from the Aviary and online at tickettailor.com